Nicki Minaj Fired Her Stylists Since No One Takes Clowns Seriously

If Nicki Minaj has seemed almost unrecognizable in the past few weeks, well, that's the point.

Minaj has been revamping her look to be more vamp and a lot less tramp, and she ditched the entire team that brought her technicolor nightmare to life in the first place.

The 'Starships' rapper, perhaps realizing she was out of ways to shock us, has not only dumped her longtime hairdresser -- the one who convinced her that rainbow wigs were a good idea -- but also the attention-thirsty crew that picked out her DayGlo, often ill-fitting outfits.

Minaj is desperate to be taken seriously as an artist, and she finally realized it's sort of tough to do that when you're covered in pompoms and Hello Kitty gear.

“She’s fired her long-standing hairdresser who has been responsible for some of her crazy hairstyles over the years," a source told The Sun. "She’s also fired her stylist. Nicki feels that now she’s done with 'American Idol' she can finally be taken seriously and release a proper hip-hop album.”

Minaj has described her toned down style as her "new, different look for 2013. It’s just a little more grown and sexy, and less is more.”